A Vegan's Search Recipe: Beef Recall

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What do the Humane Society of the United States and "The New York Times" have in common?

Each purchased the keywords for "beef recall" on Google, giving the organizations the top placement this morning on Google's search engine results page. By buying the keywords, each organization stands to drive traffic to their sites.

The Times refers Web visitors to its business news coverage of the nation's largest beef recall. About 143 million pounds of beef have been recalled from the Wetland/Hallmark Meat Company after the Humane Society released a video showing plant workers kicking injured cows and using electric prods and forklifts to make move.

The Humane Society connects visitors to its Factory Farming Campaign, including a video that depicts the cruel treatment of sick cows at the slaughterhouse. The advocacy group also provides a call to action: animal rights proponents can fill out a form urging U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Edward Schafer to toughen federal policy and prohibit sick cattle from becoming part of the food supply.

Three other sponsored links appear in the right-column of Google's search engine results page today: Levick Strategic Communications, a crisis communications firm; Revolution Health, a health and medical information site; and SparkPeople, also a health site and online community.